Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson at the Browns OTA camp in Berea on May 20, 2026.
Breaking: Browns HC Todd Monken Makes Starting Quarterback Announcement 1
The Cleveland Browns are going into the 2026 season hoping to find their franchise quarterback of the future with either Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders. The two quarterbacks have been battling all off-season long for the starting role and to impress new head coach Todd Monken.
Now, on Sunday evening Monken has revealed his plan moving forward.
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Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel practice together at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026.Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel practice together at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026.
Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel practice together at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026.
An announcement by Browns HC Todd Monken regarding his starting quarterback is coming
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team:
Browns HC Todd Monken says he will name a starting QB for Week 1 on Monday.
It will be either Deshaun Watson or Sheduer Sanders.
As we enter the final week of preseason, no starting quarterback has been named for Cleveland. In the postgame press conference Saturday, Deshaun Watson, who seemed to be the favorite over Shedeur Sanders throughout the summer, basically said he doesn’t like Browns fans.
Monken is still in the process of deciding who will start, but he spoke with the media on Sunday to reveal when he will announce his starter.
Well, he said he “anticipates” naming his starter on Monday. Hopefully, that means he is in fact making Monday the deadline. That needs to happen so the starter, whether it’s Watson or Sanders, can begin getting the full first-team reps in practice. Week 1 is only three weeks away.
In Thursday’s preseason finale against the New England Patriots, Monken won’t be playing Watson or Sanders. Fans will instead see Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green at quarterback.
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Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson hands off to running back Quinshon Judkins as teammates Dylan Sampson (22) and Shedeur Sanders (2) watch on the first day of minicamp in Berea, June 9, 2026.
Adding a whole new dimension to Monken’s decision were Watson’s postgame comments following an ugly performance on Saturday. The quarterback called out the fans for booing him. He also called out fans for cheering back in 2024 when he suffered a season-ending injury. Both he and the fans seem to hate each other. In the NFL, that is not a recipe for success.
Nonetheless, Monken’s top goal is to win football games, so he’ll pick Watson if he believes it’s the best option. After Saturday’s performance, that might not be the case anymore.
After all of this, the debates can finally end and fans can start to focus on Week 1.It wouldn’t be surprising to see both quarterbacks make starts early in the season given recent history.